Since Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he has always been thinking about what measures and methods should be used to further unify the empire? How can you further improve your monarchy?

First of all, he made a move to "lower the five banners", after all, before this, Xie Jishi and Lu Shengfang (zhan) proposed to implement the "feudal system" theory of feudal statehood, how could he accept such a separation of powers?

The so-called "five flags", that is, the five flags inlaid with white, blue, blue, red, and red.

The corresponding is the "three flags", that is, the three flags of yellow, yellow and white.

At the beginning, Nurhachi created a hegemony with "thirteen pairs of armor", contacted various Jurchen tribes, and established a khanate. The Khanate was actually a tribal confederation that was divided into eight banners, each with its own banner. The banner lord has absolute dominion over his subordinates, and he only needs to be responsible to Nurhachi.

Nurhachi was also very smart, and the owners of these eight banners all let their sons and nephews serve as them, and Huang Taiji, who later went to Khan to become emperor, obtained two yellow flags at this time: the positive yellow flag and the inlaid yellow flag.

After the violent death of Huang Taiji, Dolgon, with the qualifications of the owner of the white flag, united with the white flag of the same mother and brother Duoduo, and then contacted the elements of the two yellow flags that could be united, seized the actual power, and became the de facto emperor, first as an auxiliary government, then as a regent, and finally called himself "imperial father", and regarded Aixin Jueluo Fulin, that is, Emperor Shunzhi, as a son.

After Dolgon died, the white flag was no longer the owner of the flag for other people, and Shunzhi took it directly, and the white flag directly jumped to the "Son of Heaven himself", and the yellow flag and the yellow flag were called "three flags".

When Xie Jishi and Lu Shengqi suggested to the then head of the garrison, Fu Peng, and Zhenwu General Xi Bao the idea of restoring feudalism, Fu Peng was the owner of the red flag, and Xi Bao was the owner of the red flag, which made Yongzheng not be alert and not angry?

Fu Peng's title is the king of Pingjun, his father's name is Narsu, and this Narsu's wife is Cao Xueqin's aunt, and Narsu himself is also a descendant of Daishan.

Xibao's title is the king of Shunchengjun, and Xibao's grandfather is also the third son of Daishan.

The other two under the Five Flags are:

White flag: Auxiliary Gong Saiqin

Zhenglan Flag: Xinjun Wang Dezhao

Blue flag: Prince Jane is preserved

All three are not as important as Fuppen and Sibao.

Originally, this Fu Peng's father Nalsu was stronger than his ability and power, but he was beaten by the then crown prince Yinren during the Kangxi period, and it was obvious that he was in the camp of the eighth son of the emperor. In the fourth year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng removed his title and asked his son Fu Peng to inherit it.

Prince Jane's father was also removed from the title by Yongzheng in the fourth year of Yongzheng and let his son inherit it.

It is worth mentioning that Cao Fu was raided in the sixth year of Yongzheng, and some people say that he was implicated by Narsu.

After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he issued an edict prohibiting the banner owners of the five banners from blackmailing the bannermen of the ministers of the court.

It is not easy for them to keep their own discipline, so Yongzheng asked the Manchurian imperial history in the Imperial Court to transfer to the Eight Banners, two people in each banner, to supervise everything. From then on, everything within each banner was in fact directly managed by the central government, and the five flags no longer had any semi-independent rights.

Kangxi once made a good method to use the flagkeeper of this flag as the commander of another flag, wanting to use this to contain each other, but he didn't expect that the flagkeeper of the capital was more or less subject to the flag owner of this flag and the flag owner to which he belonged.

Yongzheng improved this, and used the owner of this flag as the capital of another flag, so that the other flag owner could not compete.

Yongzheng stipulated: The owners of the flags under the five banners can still enjoy their rights as "masters" for the clothed slaves, and for the flag members, they can only use "guards, loose horsemen, pro-military schools, and pro-army", and they are not allowed to be used as servants, manage housework, and serve as messengers. If you dare to be transferred from the flag officer to do these menial labor, you must make a special request. If the flag keeper has become an official above the level of a Beijing official or a governor of a foreign official county, the flag owner is not allowed to select their children as attendants, or as "subordinate officials" who are in charge of the clothed minions.

In order to prevent the flags from having a connection, the flags are not allowed to have a horizontal relationship, the flagkeeper of this flag and the coat, not allowed to go to other flags on errands, on the three flags of the coat, it is absolutely not allowed to "walk under the king's door".

Yongzheng is a very capable person, energetic, and not afraid of tediousness, so he can be said to be a workaholic. He lived a frugal life, compared with Kangxi, there was nothing more, and the measures and policies he did, such as clearing taxes, increasing customs duties, and salt taxes, were just to fill the treasury, not for himself and the pleasure of the harem, and it was impossible for the entertainment of the ears and eyes, the desire of the mouth, the recklessness of the army, and the great joy of the achievements (these were used in the second half of Qianlong's reign to be somewhat appropriate).

Let's say rationally, if Yongzheng is not an emperor, but a prime minister, with his style and ability, he should be able to compare with a capable minister like Zhang Juzheng, the emperor of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, and even surpass Zhang Juzheng.

As for centralization, we should not look back at the past from the perspective of the present, but should look at history in the context and historical background of the time, which should be called "the limitations of history". At that time, in the world, except for Britain, which had just completed the bourgeois revolution, China was developing from the establishment of the Qin Dynasty to the point where absolutism and centralization had developed to the present level, and it was unfair to expect an emperor in the background of the times - Yongzheng, how to be democratic and enlightened.

As far as the matter is concerned, we evaluate Yongzheng, the emperor, according to the evaluation standards of historical figures at that time, and his employment and administration are much more clever than his son Qianlong and father Kangxi.

First of all, the thirteenth son of the emperor Yinxiang, that is absolutely obedient to Yongzheng and loyal to him, first became one of the ministers of "Prime Minister's Affairs", and later became a university scholar and the minister of military aircraft, indeed in terms of personnel, Yongzheng has no problem with the use of Yinxiang.

is a little inferior to Yinxiang, which belongs to the first Ortai of Manchu and the first Zhang Tingyu of Hanchen. Ortai is the flag bearer of the blue flag of Manchuria, which can be said to be the same clan as the royal family but not the clan, because he is the "Xilin Jue Luo" (not Aixin Jue Luo).

When he was in the Kangxi period, Yongzheng once relied on Ortai as the fourth son of the emperor, but he refused. I didn't want such a refusal, but it attracted Yongzheng's attention and favor. After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he immediately promoted him, let him take the Yunnan main exam, and then went to be the political envoy of Jiangsu.

In the position of political envoy of Jiangsu, Ortai used the "minister's silver" (office expenses that could be "reimbursed") that should have been "due" as usual to sell 34,000 stone millet and stored it in Suzhou, Songjiang, and Changzhou to prepare for future relief and famine. Yongzheng was very happy to see him doing this, and transferred him to be promoted to governor of Guangxi.

Just arrived in Guangxi to take office, and served as the governor of Yunnan, "the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou" (acting governor), in office for less than a year, and suppressed the armed rebellion of the Miao people, Yongzheng liked it very much, and was promoted to the real governor of Yunnan and Guizhou.

Ortai suggested that Yongzheng implement the measure of "changing the land and returning to the stream", but in fact, this measure was not started by Yongzheng, or even the Qing Dynasty, as early as the Ming Dynasty, it was already advocated replacing the leaders of ethnic minority areas with the liuguan sent by the central government. Ortai advocated abolishing a number of hereditary pacification envoys and Xuanfu envoys established by the Ming Dynasty and assigning prefects and counties instead, merging with the county system in the interior.

Yongzheng agreed with his idea very much, whether it is a Miao or a Yi person, is a child of the Qing Dynasty and should not be divided by the feudal Tusi.

Later, Ortai carried out the land reform and reintegration by force, and suppressed the tribes that wanted to rebel.

In the seventh year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng added a province to Ortai for management, calling him "the governor of Yunnan-Guizhou Guangxi", so a number of Tusi in Guangxi also returned.

In the tenth year of Yongzheng, Ortai returned to Beijing and was awarded the title of "Baohedian University Scholar, and the Secretary of the Military Department, handling military aircraft affairs". Together with Zhang Tingyu, he waited for Yongzheng to work in the "Military Aircraft Department".

This military aircraft department, originally called the "military machine room", is the "military quartermaster's room" of the back, the military quartermaster room was set up in June of the seventh year of Yongzheng, the management of the military quartermaster, Yongzheng for the sake of secrecy and instructed Yinxiang, Zhang Tingyu, Jiang Tingxi, it was set up in a small house in the inner court.

At this time, since Yinxiang served as the minister of "Prime Minister's Affairs", he handled the water conservancy of Gyeonggi quite effectively, and was ordered by Yongzheng to preside over the affairs of supporting military affairs in the northwest. In other words, this quartermaster room was originally set up for Yinxiang, Zhang Tingyu and Jiang Tingxi were two capable assistants, Jiang Tingxi was the head of the household department at that time, and without this money, what else could he talk about in the war, so he was also transferred to the quartermaster room.

In the eighth year of Yongzheng, the quartermaster room was changed to the military machine room, Yinxiang also died of illness in May of this year, only Zhang Tingyu and Jiang Tingxi were left in the military aircraft department, and in the twelfth year of Yongzheng, only to add Ortai, as the minister of "handling military aircraft affairs", plus a "handling the military aircraft department walking" of the original governor of Guizhou Ha Yuansheng, this Ha Yuansheng "walked" for less than a month, Guizhou Miao people rebelled again, he had to return to his original post to continue to preside over affairs.

The quartermaster room was indeed set up for Yinxiang at the beginning, but the Military Aircraft Department was promoted to the actual cabinet and took away the actual power of the cabinet, which was Zhang Tingyu's suggestion.

Zhang Tingyu's suggestion was to divide them into two categories as long as they were written to the emperor in all aspects. Those involved in ordinary government affairs are called "sparse", and "important matters" involving military secrets are called "folding". The department of communication will collect it and submit it to the cabinet for vote; Folding, do not need to go through the political department, but use the "performance office" to collect, no longer to the cabinet to instruct, but by the emperor in the military aircraft department to watch the military aircraft minister to do, immediately with the imperial pen Zhu approved, approved directly by the staff of the military aircraft department copying, sealing, without going through the cabinet, let alone through the ministries, trying to keep secrets and quickly.

Yongzheng adopted Zhang Tingyu's suggestion, and from then on, the Military Aircraft Department became the highest and most important department in the country.

Yongzheng has Zhang Tingyu and others in the military aircraft department, accompanying the office every day. Zhang Tingyu himself is a scholar of the Bohol Palace, so Zhang Tingyu not only has "important matters" related to military aircraft, but Zhang Tingyu upholds Yongzheng's will in person as the minister of military aircraft and quickly implements it.

But under such a centralized monarchy, the "council" is not absolutely absent. At the time of Nurhachi, there were already five ministers and ten zalguqi. During the reign of Emperor Taiji, the number of ministers for administrative hearings was increased to 16, and the number of deputy ministers was also increased to 16.

After entering the customs, the Qing Dynasty inherited the Ming system, and when encountering important events, it was often handed over to the "Jiuqing Kedao" miscellaneous discussions. Jiuqing is not only the original Taichang Temple, Honglu Temple, etc., but also includes the six Shangshu. As for the department, it is the "giving of things" and the supervision of each province under the Metropolitan Procuratorate (officials, households, rites, soldiers, criminals, and workers).

In the event that a senior official is impeached or military action is to be taken against the outside world, the matter must be handed over to the "royal minister" for discussion, and after discussion, a written report is sent to the emperor, and the emperor makes the final decision.

Yongzheng, we said before that the ability is very strong, and even from the perspective of personnel, his father Xuanye and son Hongli are much better, not only know the national government affairs well, but also know very well what the ability of the governors below is, and often appreciate some minor officials below the governors.

Among the governors, such as Li Wei, Tian Wenjing, and Wang Shijun, they are all minor officials.

Li Wei said before that he was born in the donation class, and at the beginning of Yongzheng's accession to the throne, he was just a household langzhong, less than three years, Yongzheng appreciated him and became the governor of Zhejiang, "and took care of the two Zhejiang salt administrations", and two years later he was promoted to the governor of Zhejiang, and ten years after Yongzheng, he was promoted to the secretary of the criminal department.

Tian Wenjing, a native of the Yellow Banner of the Han Army, was born in the same donation class as Li Wei, and worked very hard, bent on increasing taxes for Yongzheng, and he did have a mean side to the people.

Wang Shijun was born on the right path, is a Hanlin, has been promoted by Yongzheng as "Governor of the East River and Governor of Henan", in Yongzheng ten years after Tian Wenjing's appointment, originally famous for impeaching Tian Wenjing, but after succeeding, the style is the same as Tian.

Tian and Wang reclaimed a lot of famine in Henan, and reclamation was not a bad thing, but this Tian Wenjing was anxious to seek treatment, and acted resolutely, and the state and county officials were forced to let the people be taxed according to the mu by the decree of the two, and even "the side of the grave and the river embankment" had to collect taxes.

The two dare to do things and are not corrupt, this is also a fact, Tian Wenjing found a loss of more than 2 million taels when he was checking the money and grain in Shandong, and reported to Yongzheng that it was because "the fire consumption is too heavy and there are too many private factions", and the people are indeed unable to pay it clearly on an annual basis.

On the one hand, the fire consumption and additional distribution are the heavy burden of the common people, and on the other hand, they are also the "oil and water" of the officials above, after all, the prefect at that time only had a few taels of silver a month.

There was a Nuo Min in Shanxi, who proposed to Yongzheng a proposal to "return the fire to the public", and was ready to let the prefectures and counties take the "consumed silver" collected every year to the treasurer of the political envoy, and the governor proposed 200,000 taels to make up for the shortfall, and the rest should be used as incorruptible silver.

Yongzheng's "Minister Wang" discussed and agreed with Nuo Min's suggestion, and later, not only in Shanxi, but also all over the country had such a "incorruptible silver", but in the end of the Qing Dynasty, the fire consumption still existed.

Yongzheng's tax system could not be like it is now, but he really wanted to reduce the burden on the people.

In terms of finance, Yongzheng's most famous trick, we mentioned it before: spread the land into the mu. It is to forcibly spread the Ding silver (poll tax) of the 50th year of Kangxi set in the 51st year of Kangxi into the field rent (land tax), which is also called "the integration of Ding and grain". Not only has the procedure been reduced, but in the future, only those who have land property will need to pay grain, and those who do not have land property not only do not need to rent the field, but even Ding Yin can be directly exempted, which is indeed a policy to benefit the people.